Ponga Savages Kalu in SA Papers

Former FAZ Secretary General Ponga Liwewe took to the foreign press to rub salt into the wounds of banned former FAZ President Kalusha Bwalya.

Liwewe, a well-known Andrew Kamanga ally savaged Bwalya dwelling into some of the minute details whose only intention may have been to embarrass the 1988 African Footballer of the Year.

Below is the story that appeared in the City Press in South Africa under the screaming headline King Kalu Dethroned.

To his legion of worshippers, he is known as ‘’King Kalu.”

In Zambian football, his status is unchallenged as one of the top players in the country’s illustrious football history.

His resume is littered with stories of success: African Player of the Year 1988, Top Scorer 1996 Africa Cup of Nations. These are some of the accolades Kalusha Bwalya won during his years on the pitch.

Though his playing career didn’t reach the heights or win the recognition of George Weah, Abedi Pele or Roger Milla, he is considered a true legend of African football, ranking fourth in a poll of Africa’s greatest players of the 20th Century.

On August 10, 2018, the King lost his crown. The Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee released a press statement announcing a two-year ban and CHF100,000 fine for breaching FIFA’s code of ethics.

It was a bitter blow to the man whose career has centred around nothing else but football from the time he first kicked a ball professionally for the Mufulira Wanderers team where he would go on to become a local hero.

The FIFA decision was the culmination of an investigation that began almost as soon as the UK Sunday Times newspaper published an exclusive story on that highlighted the levels of corruption around the Qatar bid for the 2022 World Cup and race for the FIFA presidency.

The lead player was Mohammed Bin Hammam, a one-time confidant of the man he was challenging for the position, FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

The Sunday Times Insight team carried out a comprehensive investigation that included gaining access to Bwalya’s emails. In it was the damning correspondence between himself and representatives of Mohammed Bin Hammam from whom he was requesting financial support for both himself and the Football Association of Zambia.

“As per our conversation, please Mr President if you could assist me with about 50 thousand Dollars for my Football association and personal expenditures. I hope to repay you in the near future, as the burden is little bit too hard for me at this moment.” The little bit too hard burden prompted him to make a further request in 2011 as he declared himself “a little thin on resources.”

This was followed by an additional payment of $30,000.

To understand how he got himself into this situation, it is necessary to go back to the beginning, to when his football journey began five decades ago in the dusty streets of the mining community of Mufulira in northern Zambia.

His father, Benjamin Bwalya, was a football official who went on to later become a committee member of the Football Association of Zambia.

The senior Bwalya earned a reputation for his stubbornness and no-compromise approach to many issues. Some say this where his son’s inflexibility and tendency perceive non-existent slights stems.

Kalusha’s football journey took him from the city council team Mufulira Blackpool to the more prominent mine-owned club, Mufulira Wanderers.

It was here that he flourished under the tutelage of the late Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndlovu and, while still in his teens, was wearing the colours of the Zambia national team.

In Mufulira, alongside his older and arguably more talented brother, Benjamin, they were the most exciting prospects in Zambian football. By 1985, at the age of 22, he had outgrown Zambian football and made a move to mid-level Belgian side, Cercle Brugge where he quickly became the club’s best player.

Three years later in 1988, he was leading the Zambian team at the Olympic Games in Seoul, where he emerged second highest scorer in the tournament with six goals, just one behind the fabulous Brazilian, Romario.

His performance in Seoul saw him signed on by the top Dutch side, PSV Eindhoven, where he initially struggled to make an impression before gaining more playing time under Bobby Robson.

After Robson’s departure, he was deemed surplus to requirements and was part of a purge of senior players when Aad de Moss took over.

At 30, the prospects of playing for another European club diminished and his next move took him nine thousand kilometres away to Mexico where he signed on for Club America, one of the most popular teams in the Mexican football league.

The change gave him a new lease of life and saw him become a cult hero to the fanatical Club America fans.

To fans in the terraces, he could do no wrong.

Off the field, however, relationships with his teammates and others were not as smooth sailing.

After his move to Europe, he became more distant from his teammates in the national team and began to make demands on the team management and association that were at best questionable.

He demanded a single room while all the other players paired.

On at least one occasion his wife Erica joined him in the team camp while in preparation for a crucial match.

Bwalya also insisted on receiving extra payment from the football association whenever he played for the national team for what he termed ‘’loss of wages,” even though the clubs he played for paid his salary when he was on national duty, as was the norm.

More disturbing was his antagonistic attitude towards the equally successful Charles Musonda who had followed him a year later from Mufulira Wanderers to Cercle Brugge as a 16-year-old precocious talent.

After one season Musonda transferred to the Belgian and European giants Anderlecht, leaving Kalusha in his wake.

This irked him and matters came to a head when the two differed in front of the nations’ cameras over whether the Zambia national team should continue to play matches after the horrific Gabon air crash which killed 18 players of the national team.

Musonda’s position was that Zambia should take a long break to rebuild and as he made his point he was sharply interrupted by Bwalya who retorted ” What do you mean we should stop? We have to go on!”

A persistent knee injury curtailed Musonda’s career, and as he sought treatment to get back on the field, his rival did nothing to halt the false impression that he didn’t want to play for the national team anymore.

Later, when Musonda returned from an injury-induced three-year break from active football to play for the national team, he was inexplicably left out of the starting line-up in a crucial World Cup qualifying match against South Africa in 1996.

Sources suggested that this was due to an ultimatum from Kalusha that either he or Musonda play but not together in the same team.

Zambia was held to a 0-0 draw at home and subsequently failed to qualify.

Two decades later, when Musonda’s three sons began to make an impression on the football stage, their reluctance to appear for Zambia’s junior team’s was linked back to the fractious relationship between the two, and with Bwalya as FA President, Musonda’s caution was understandable.

At the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, the Zambian team split apart over a dispute about bonuses when the Head of Delegation Major Richard Kachingwe inexplicably handed Bwalya $50,000 in cash for the players’ allowances.

Bwalya informed the local players that there would only be a bonus for a win and nothing for a draw or loss.

Having lost the first game and drawn the second, this meant that the players would receive no compensation at all.

He decreed, however, that the players who had come from overseas teams would be paid allowances and proceeded to share the $50,000 between five players, taking the largest portion for himself and leaving out the rest of the 23-man squad who earned a pittance in the local game.

This caused unrest within the team, leading to a player strike that was only averted at the last minute.

Goalkeeper Davies Phiri flatly refused to play and was replaced by the ineffectual Emmanuel Mschili who conceded twice in a 2-2 draw with Senegal.

Zambia left the tournament at the first hurdle.

After the match, Bwalya announced his retirement from international football.

At 36, the curtain had finally fallen on a career that spanned 19 years.

He would return for a brief cameo appearance in 2004, featuring in a World Cup qualifying match against Liberia in which he came off the bench towards the end and scored a thunderous free kick from forty metres away, bringing the excited crowd to its feet in jubilation.

All this would be undone a few weeks later when, in the final of the 2004 COSAFA Castle Cup against Angola, he was the only player to miss a penalty in the shootout, giving Angola a 4-3 win on Zambian soil.

For the first time in his extraordinary career, he was booed by disappointed fans as he left the pitch.

It was the last time he would kick a ball as a competitive player.

In 2003, he was drafted into the South African bid for the 2010 World Cup on the recommendation of this author who was serving on the board and who advised the then Chief Executive Officer, Danny Jordaan, that a Spanish speaker would be invaluable to cover the Conmebol countries of South America and other Latin American territories.

Jordaan promptly brought Bwalya into the fold as an ambassador but would pay a hefty price later when Bwalya turned against him.

Bwalya actively campaigned against Jordaan in his attempts to become COSAFA and CAF committee member respectively.

Bwalya’s disdain for Jordaan intensified when his outspoken wife Emy Casaletti was asked to leave her marketing role at the 2010 World Cup Bid Committee.

It would only be in 2017 that Jordaan would get into the CAF committee on the crest of the wave that swept aside CAF President Issa Hayatou from office.

After the successful World Cup bid that saw South Africa win the right to host the World Cup, Bwalya switched his attention to local football politics and was voted FAZ vice president in 2004.

His four-year term was characterised by open warfare between him and the association’s President, Teddy Mulonga.

The level of distrust was clear when Bwalya stood up to vote for himself as he bid for the Presidency of the southern African regional football body, COSAFA, breaking the norm of the vote being cast by the association’s president.

In 2008, Bwalya stood against Mulonga for the presidency and riding high on his popularity as a football legend, swept him aside in a near-landslide win.

Vote buying and intimidation characterised the election.

It was the beginning of an era that would see lack of accountability, factional fighting and downright incompetence in the running of Zambia’s football affairs.

Nothing personified this more than the ill-fated national team trip to play a friendly match against Ghana’s Black Stars in London when only eight Zambia national team players made the trip, forcing the coach to call up Zambian students living in London to make up the numbers.

A few weeks earlier, the association had failed to procure tickets for referees coming for an Africa Cup qualifying match against Comoros, leaving thousands of fans waiting in the stadium for a game that wouldn’t take place on the day.

Football House became an arena of shenanigans and buffoonery.

Worse still was the blatant misuse of football resources for a lavish lifestyle of first-class travel and endless hotel stays, all at the expense of the association.

National team gate receipts were no longer made public, and it was not uncommon to see the associations’ executive committee members openly selling match tickets to fill their own pockets as part of their entitlement for their positions.

Revenues from international matches were unaccounted for as the Zambian team made trips to play Brazil, Chile, Kuwait, Japan and other teams abroad.

For the game against Brazil, sources revealed that the sum of $2m was paid as a match fee.

More telling was the absence of any entry in the FAZ books relating to the match.

Bwalya also involved himself in transfer deals involving players.

According to sources at Nchanga Rangers Football club, while still a player at the same club, he played a part in the transfer of Harry Milanzi to UAT Correcaminos in Mexico. To date, Nchanga Rangers is yet to see a penny of the transfer fee.

When Collins Mbesuma transferred from local club, Roan United, to Kaiser Chiefs in South Africa, Roan United again found themselves holding the short end of the stick.

The biggest transfer scandal involved the movement of Emmanuel Mayuka from Kabwe Warriors to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

Bwalya was subsequently summoned by the National Sports Council of Zambia to explain his role in the transfer and suspended for his refusal to appear before the council. He was also severely criticised in a parliamentary report looking into the matter.

With his grip on local football cemented, Bwalya turned his attention to CAF and FIFA where there would be even more money to be made if he played his cards right.

He quickly ingratiated himself to the then CAF President Issa Hayatou, acting as a bagman for Issa’s campaigns, going door-to-door, ‘’encouraging” delegates’ to make the right choice.

The big money spinner came when the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups began in earnest after the 2010 World Cup. Qatar’s Mohammed Bin Hammam and Bwalya had first become acquainted when Bwalya was appointed an ambassador for the South African bid, and over the years they had kept their acquaintanceship going for whenever one would need to call upon the other.

Sources say when Ahmad first stood for the position of CAF committee member in 2011, much of the financial support for the campaign had come from Bin Hammam.

It was this election when Bwalya had been playing an active role in the re-election of Issa Hayatou.

With Danny Jordaan and Ahmad, both from the southern African region, as candidates. Bwalya saw the opportunity to undermine Jordaan by fully backing and campaigning for Ahmad.

He was later heard saying gleefully after Jordaan’s loss, ‘’As long as I am around, Danny will never get into CAF. Over my dead body.”

In FIFA circles, Bwalya’s status as one of the few ex-players in an executive role endeared him to the FIFA top brass.

He was appointed to the prestigious Football Committee and worked in the technical study group for several tournaments.

It was this rubbing of shoulders with the key stakeholders and his desire for more power and prestige that saw him roped into the Bin Hammam quest to overthrow Sepp Blatter.

As Bin Hammam’s star grew with Qatar’s success in winning the bid for the 2022 World Cup, he was emboldened to go for broke. His fatal error was in the final days of the campaign for the FIFA presidency to offer $40,000 in cash to each of the CONCACAF president’s at their congress in Trinidad and Tobago.

Not all were prepared to destroy their reputations for the pieces of silver on offer, and they declined.

Chuck Blazer, the secretary general of CONCACAF, ever the Blatter man, and under intense pressure as a turned informer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, passed on the information to Blatter and Bin Hammam’s fate was sealed.

On 2011, the respected Sunday Times Newspaper broke the story of how Qatar bought the vote to win the bid for the 2022 World Cup, and in it, Bwalya’s name featured prominently with copies of emails he had made to Bin Hammam requesting financial resources for both the Football Association of Zambia and himself.

Bwalya’s domestic decline began with his loss to Andrew Kamanga, a successful businessman who had served as Chairman of Kabwe Warriors Football Club.

After a series of monumental blunders outlined above, the associations’ members had rallied behind Kamanga in 2011 to take over the helm of the association.

They were thwarted at the last minute by the withdrawal of a vote of no confidence motion when the sponsor – allegedly for the price of a large screen television – had it taken off the agenda.

Five years later, in 2016, Kamanga made another bid for the presidency and against overwhelming odds, defeated Bwalya by the slim margin of 163 to 156 votes.

It was the biggest upset in the history of Zambian football elections.

Bwalya, who had left the hall and returned to his hotel room before the final vote was counted, broke down and wept at the news of his loss, according to eyewitnesses present.

After an initial inquiry into the vote-buying allegations in 2012, FIFA concluded its investigations through the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee in April 2018.

Bwalya was found guilty and sanctioned four months later.

He received a two-year ban from all football activities and a substantial CHF30, 000 fine.

The action effectively ended his tenure at the top echelons of football. Where he goes from here is unclear.

After the dizzy heights of playing football at the highest levels and becoming a household name in the African game, the road thereafter went downhill with one controversy after another.

Today public opinion is divided about whether to still view him as a hero or now as a villain after his fall.

It is yet another sad tale about how greed and corruption can eradicate a lifetime of work and achievement in an instant.

87 Comments

Benny

TC

Chonto wa Bulozi

It is so easy to criticize Great Kali and condemn him. Clear hatred and jealousy and way to prevent his come back. It is all a gimmick. We had our firstl CAF continental cup under Great Kalu may be you have forgotten so soon. Be grateful you unpatriotic nyasalandians. This how you also treated Kaunda,chiluba and Sata. Ungrateful dissidents bent on destroying the name of Great Kalu fearing for your corrupted FAZ positions. Why did Ponga resign or failed to manage? Be grateful you fools.

Richard

These aren’t lies. Ponga wrote facts. To be a great footballer is one thing and to be corrupt leader is another. Blind loyalty is not good. Just because he won us the AFCON should not mean that we should turn blind eye to issues of bad Governance. A person who is credible must always be objective. It is good to look at issues around Kalu in an objective manner. The committee that found him guilty at FIFA is not group of small people. You are talking about FBI information here. It’s not Zambia Police who investigated . FBI my dear.

Morris c Mulenga

Give great kalu a chance to defend himself it is a system you can not point finger on someone’s whom you haven’t heard is side if kalu is at fault then were was the management?zambian’s don’t be dull.kalu has worked and either I nor you can’t do what kalu has done don’t criticise if pongas father was here can not Condon that.

Mk

Kalusha was very good on the pitch,now administrative affairs I can give him zero. He had blocked so many potential players from achieving their goal,likes of chilembi,Emanuel Zulu just to mention a few. But on the pitch, he is great kalu.

Bleble

Things that you do in life,speek volumes of what you are.I guess he got something for his pocket during the 2012 Afcon grory…..Ciwamina galu kuluna mbuzi…..mbuzi ikati ilumeko……..Kalu never wants others to surpurs him……therez an end to evry evil did…..

Power90

Leave Kalusha alone, non of you has even archived anything worthwhile to make the country proud.
This ponga himself together with kamaga have been corruptly squandering FAZ finances for personal gain, your writing smells of hated and jealousy of what Kalusha has been able to achieve in his life Your devilish motivation to try and tarnish the image of Kalusha will never work , in fact the south African Should be able to see you are a worthless crap bent on destroying the livelihood of your fellow countryman.
It is wicked people like you that the sporting world must actually get rid of all you are good at is destruction and squandering look how you and chi kamanga have reduced Zambian football to low levels.
Shame on you wasting time making this long long write up on Kalusha don’t you have better things to do. Useless and visionless people spend time discussing others, people of substance make things happen.
Kalusha make things happen kamanga and his stoggies discuss them. The fact remains that even with the ban Kalusha will always be better than you and kamanga.
#kalusha_bwalya_zambian_national_football_hero
#the great kalu
#king kalu the national legend

One Zambia

I take issue with Power90 who doesnt seem to have any inteligent argument apart from throwing slander at Andrew and Ponga. The alleged misapropriation of funds by the current FAZ administrations stems from the Under20 Afcon tournament.
Moneys were paid out to members of the organizing committee,well documented using bank transfers which could be traced and querried a million and one years from now. FAZ ensured there was a RECORD of the payments. When queried, FAZ had an explanation for the payments.
On the other hand, everything Kalusha touched as an administrator smelled of rotten fish!
The supersport deal. The mtn deal. The transfer scandals. The ticketing scandals. The pay-to-play scandals. And then there is an active investigation of match fixing by FIFA again.
We havent even touched the issue of where the purse money for the AFCON 2012 was routed.
FIFA is almost done with a forensic audit of FAZ books dating back to 2011. Skeletons are about to be exposed.

So Power90, save all that ranting for the still to come woes.
Wapya munzi

True Caller

Are you sure everyone got the payments?I suggest you zipup before you write things you don’t know check what’s happening now and the payments you are talking about a lot of groups and individuals have not yet been paid and I have eveidence

Dr. Zimba Emmanuel.

Kangwa Gabriel C Jr

ROKA

Out of context. The author started with the achievements great gsli scored. Is this not s sign being unbiased author? Great galu even turned against the man he built to be what he became,Sir Zoom Ndlovu!The man did a lot to promote this Kantaship good only in football boy in his football career.Great Ponga has brought information which was not to most Zambian football fans!!Look at the way he humiliated baTeddy Mulonga!You don’t treat experienced elderly leaders like that and you get away with that!People, like the father of football administration and management, Mr Mtine,Mr.Kasunga,even the late Dennis Liwewe were rubbished by great Kali!!Not everyone is happy with his ending,the truth had to exposed and appropriate action taken as a warning to those who were kalu’s students of stealing, envy, craftiness etc!Once,well done Ponga Liwewe!However,tell us the real reasons which made you leave FAZ st the time FAZ needed you most! Also a profile on the former scout master for son and his colleagues st Olympia Primary School then when the man was an UNZA student!

Joseph mwenda

Ponga Kalusha

One Zambia

Nothing can ever be taken away from ‘Great’ Kalu on his pitch prowesses. He is arguably the best outfield player to ever grace the zambian game. He was one of the best dead ball takers in the world. His skill on the pitch was breathtaking.
Not even Andrew Kamanga can challenge that. Actually, for those of you that may not know, Andrew adored this guy. Considers him an icon. Thats why if you went to Andrew’s office, you will find an iconic photo on his wall. A black and white photo of ‘King’ Kalu and Ucar.
Andrew recognizes Kalu’s contribution to Zambian football ON THE PITCH.
Administration wise, Kalu is a collosal failure. An epitome of greed,corruption and maladministration.
The man was led by his insatiable appetite for lavish life.
He seemed to have a special nose for smelling where a quick buck lay.
He found a way of cashing in on National Team player selections. He found a way of cashing in on player transfers. He found a way of cashing in on international match tickets. He found a way of cashing in on match appearnce fees. He found a way of routing FAZ finances through his account. Make an inquiry at Ministry of Sport about the reasons for govt stopping to give FAZ money for logistics and player allowances and electing to pay those directly.
Ask Kamanga why it was difficult to renegotiate the MTN Sponsorship deal.
Ponga, your article does not go far enough.
You were FAZ General Secretary, why cant you tell us what you found at football house?
And contrary to popular belief, the banning of Kalusha Bwalya by FIFA has its genesis from the protracted fight over FAZ nomination to contest as FIFA committee member.
He unleashed a chain of events that led to his eventual ban.
Does anybody remember how Kalu made a 180 when the mention of integrity checks surfaced? He realised too late that he had opened himself up to an ‘investigation’ after entrapping himself.
His withdrawal came a bit too late as the ‘vetting’ if potential candidates had already began.
Fyakuiletelela ba Kalu.
Am preparing a dossier on the AFCON 2012 Purse money

Amagenge

Bola Yenu

Looking at it from the Zambian side you are right. But you ought to know that Kali made South Africa his home and operated from there in almost all his dealings with football here in Zambia. South Africans also know him from the SA perspective. Inga has written from the SA perspective. If he had written from the Zambian perspective to the Zambian readership, he would not walk the streets of Lusaka. You would tear him apart! Zambians are normally not objective. Politics have permeated every fabric of society!

zizi zizou

We all know how mbemba are where money is consein.they can do anything to reach to the top.this man is greed not a hero.nothing that he did in his home country Zambia. What people can point or his funs except his corruption and greed.people should be remembered for what they did in their time of work,not to be known for bad did.he contributed alot to the downfall of Zambia football.moreover,selection of players to the national team was and still based on tribal lines,hence from top FAZ to the players,the all system is engulfed bembas cruks.does it mean other tribal they don’t
know football or they are lazy ?therefore,since our colonial masters Britain left independence to us
,things never went good no our side whenever,there is an election and also bembas are involved you will found (ka red naka black )happening in order to desadvertege others.

Patrick

Interesting to see that Mr. Zizi can only look at issues from a tribalistic point of view! My friend tribal balancing doesn’t work in sport and should not be encouraged in any field but that selection should on merit. I agree that Bemba speaking Zambians dominated the Zambia Natioanal soccer team in a long time but it was all on merit. No matter how much you hate Bembas Kalusha is not called King Kalu for nothing. He remains arguably Zambia’s best footballer only compared to the late Godfrey ‘Ucar’ Chitalu. Guys, let’s change our primitive, tribalistic mindset or we will fail to develop this country. Yes Kalusha being only human like us all has his own weaknesses but let’s give credit where it’s due.

Tasuzwika

I now understand fully where the hatred for Davies Phiri came from. Was it not the same Davies as Captain, who informed government officials in his address that he had to take some players to a market in Uganda or Tanzania to buy football boots? This was the time we had president Kalu. He also went to his club then in SA and asked them to fire Davies. What a shame. Davies has achieved a look by having a heart for his boyhood club Kabwe warriors and contributed a lot financially and materially. Not this Kalu who turned his back on the two Mufulira sides who made him a great player. SHAME

Mark

I once met kalu on a plane coming from South Africa to Zambia, I can safely say the man has a bad personality. The air hostesses asked him for match tickets and his answer was rude considering he was a faz brand ambassador

Japhet Mwale from Solwezi

ROKA

Please, face the truth! This is not jealousy! Don’t bshave like politicians who even painted Kwacha debasing as evil! They don’t even talk about this after it successfully done.Ponga is not jealousy, but simply updating on issue concerning football management and adminstration!! But I am waiting for an article on his experience as FAZ SG and led him to quitting his FAZ post and also a profile on What led to suspending BoNdate for life!!

A believer of the Lord

If we were not honest , let’s confess and repent , if we knew the truth, we should have approached suspected persons , advised them correctly . Above all , let’s pray not to sin again and forgive one another as our Lord was and will always be a forgiving God.

Zedian

Great as Kalu was on the pitch,the talent was inbuilt in his soccer legs and brain.No one will take away his achievements.Zambians will remember him not as an administrator but among super soccer players that ever graced the beautiful game in the history of our country.Despite all the FIFA and administrative issues,Great Kalu made me fall in love with soccer,the passionate game .

Chonto wa Bulozi

It is so easy to criticize Great Kali and condemn him. Clear hatred and jealousy and way to prevent his come back. It is all a gimmick. We had our firstl CAF continental cup under Great Kalu may be you have forgotten so soon. Be grateful you unpatriotic nyasalandians. This how you also treated Kaunda,chiluba and Sata. Ungrateful dissidents bent on destroying the name of Great Kalu fearing for your corrupted FAZ positions. Why did Ponga resign or failed to manage? Be grateful you fools.

kambwili

Ba Fellows Tembo you will continue wallowing in poverty if you can’t see things beyond your nose. You can’t separate anything from politics. We have buffoons that is why nothing can go the right way in Zambia. Mukalila ba stupid later. Poverty doesn’t know tribe. Mukachensa fye ku meno.

Malama Golden

Sianga Musialela

The great English thinker and philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote in his book,Liberty- ” In society and communities success always reveals faults and imfirmities which failure would otherwise have hidden from observation.”So Mr Kalusha Bwalya as a successful man can expect these comments from the public. The best thing is to ignore them and carry on with his life.

Kawama

The one who doesn’t write about the success of a friend when all is going well , and only to craftily tell diversed fables on reasons to the failure of a close friend is a blood thirsty jealousy failure who has nothing to show what he or she has done for the country.

Soccer Chipolo

Truth is truth. In Zambia the misdeeds were quite. FIFA uko afileta nafyonse fyasokoloka. Ama bribes ukuchinga abaiche mwamona nomba. It takes a very long period to build a name. Destroying mmmmmmmmmmm tuma seconds. Ba great fyasokoloka.

mwamba

Sometimes i wish am not a zambian seeing the level of hatred towards prominent zambian people.has much as he is guilty or not we need to envy people whom dont see reason to redicule ones fall from grace.kalu has done so many wrong things just so many positives his done.no faz president made so much zambian football.if he dies today you be the same people speaking good of his life

Truth man

That is why Mr.Kalusha Bwalya should ignore these jealous and Good for Nothing critics.After all Kalusha Bwalya still takes the headlines in Europe once in a while.But I have not read about any of these too vocal critics any where even in the cheapest magazines in Europe.Please leave the guy alone, he has done his best for this country. It is now your chance to stand up and be counted.Show us what you have done!

Peter mulenga

Chota

Ponta you are just too bitter with yourself. You’ve gone ahead to rubbish everything about Kalu but one thing you are forgetting is that your father who was a great soccer commentator had so much respect for him. He is not king Kalu for nothing he deserves it. What have you ever done for Zambian football yourself? You even have the nerve to write all this rubbish in a foreign newspaper….. Hopeless

Lweendo The Jesusist

There comes a time in a man that he must face reality and the fact of life. Truth or false all of us are lost like sheep without a shepherd. Let him who is without sin/fault be the first one to cast a stone. Righteousness is blessing to any nation but sin is a disgrace any people.
This is what happens when God dies in a society corruption becomes fashionable and truth is dispised even those seem like they stand for truth have their own motive.
If Zambia is going to succeed in any field of development, football included,we need to change our mind set and be like the man of Nazareth,who, while He knew that whole are His and created for Him and by Him. He decided not to save or serve Himself.Zambia is Jesusist Nation.

Sima

Very sad reading indeed. Ponga is writing as a professional sports commentator and very close observer to Kalu’s hideous life. Kalu the football wizard and Kalu the football administrator and miles apart in character. I hope my good friends Mr Chisupa will recall what I said about Kalu the thief a few years ago. I hope Kalu will have the dignity to blush in shame…

afcon

People of Zambia are greatly disappointed by PONGA over this article.KING KALU deserves RESPECT. Without KING KALU zambian football would have died a natural death. NOBODY ever sacrificed his dignity and name to save Zambian football than KALU did. The MMD govt withdrew financial support to FAZ when KING KALU was president becoz he resisted political interference in the management of football.KALU was left to source finances for FAZ from the corporate world and friends. He put his head on the shopping board just to save zambian football. He borrowed money from friends to keep FAZ running and the national team participating in tournaments. FIFA almost banned Zambia football when Danny Bennett was engaged by govt as coach of the national team without the participation of FAZ.KALU resisted this move by MMD govt and brought impasse btn FAZ and govt. Danny Bonnett was terminated and FAZ paid FIFA fines after which FAZ engaged Harvey Renard as Coach who went and won the country’s ever AFcon title.

The mines who were big sponsors of football withdrew becoz new owners of the mines were not interested in football. KALU managed to bring in MTN to sponsor the League. He brought in Super sport to air the Zambian League. He won 4 Cosafa titles, eventually won the AFCon in 2012 .
KING KALU SACRIFICED all he had to save our football. PONGa has resigned from current FAZ because they have failed to fit in the shoes of KING KALU, Zambians want KALU back as FAZ president. After the under 20 AFCON PONGA and his executive gave themselves undocumented next Allowances. The current executive have failed to run a genuine jersey contract. Football standards at national level have fallen, ZAMBIANS MISS KING KALU GREATLY.

Voice of Solwezi

You know, i hate you Zambians alot more than Toilet when am excused.
I just don’t know why you Voted for Johnathan Lungu number 6! He is old class and i think he noz nothing about his doings.
Away from that, Kalu was souding fish but it was hard to remove em only Kamaga the rich Northwestern Energy company owner managed to silence kalu in Zambia.
The bible says only the trueth will set you free and indeeds Kalu is freee so is Johnathan Lungu! Zambians you must invest in education so that the future do not face this inhumanity!
Foolish people hate Kamanga even when they have seen the fruets, who is paying Sven when Kalu failed to pay Rerlna??
Kamanga is top class, and i think he can win 2021 elections if he stands as a President.
It hates to see a hard working man being insulted every time by uneducated people who dont even know where the taxs they pay gos to.
Pay back loan and some one will pay 1million$ fine here!

Lweendo The Jesusist

There comes a time in a man’s life that he must face reality and the fact of life. Truth or false all of us are lost like sheep without a shepherd. Let him who is without sin/fault be the first one to cast a stone. Righteousness is blessing to any nation but sin is a disgrace any people.
This is what happens when God dies in a society, corruption becomes fashionable and truth is dispised. Even those who seem like they stand for truth have their own secret selfish motive.
If Zambia is going to succeed in any field of development, football included,we need to change our mind set and be like the Man of Nazareth,who, while He knew that whole things are His and were created for Him and by Him. He decided not to save or serve Himself. Let’s learn to be selfless when we are in leadership.
Zambia is a Jesusist Nation. That is our fruit/actions/deeds must be corruption free.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls in trouble instead look at his predicament as lesson . Pray for them so you can be like your Father who is in heaven.
Diego Maradona had his strength and weakness. On the feild and off the field.
None of us is God.

Richard

These aren’t lies. Ponga wrote facts. To be a great footballer is one thing and to be corrupt leader is another. Blind loyalty is not good. Just because he won us the AFCON should not mean that we should turn blind eye to issues of bad Governance. A person who is credible must always be objective. It is good to look at issues around Kalu in an objective manner. The committee that found him guilty at FIFA is not group of small people. You are talking about FBI information here. It’s not Zambia Police who investigated . FBI my dear.

afcon

NON Zambians who have read the above article may thing KING KALU is DISHONEST. This article has been written by one of KING KALUS competitors. PONGA and his friends thought running football was an easy thing. They have ramentably failed to run football and People are calling for KALU to come back. This the more reason you are seeing the hatred in the article.
KING KALU borrowed money from friends to save zambian football. It is not easy to run football in Africa.Political interference is a big cancer in African football.

KING KALU has done everything possible to improve Football in zambia and also at FIFA. KALU DESERVES RESPECT for his contribution to football world wide.
KING KALU is the KING of Zambian football. NoBODY CAN fit in the SHOES of king KALU both as a player and administrator of football.
KING KALU has NOT been DETHRONED. THE WORLD NEEDS A MAN LIKE KALU to run football. KALU loves football.

In ZAMBIA we can him GREAT KALU, KING KALU. HE was not the greatest player of Africa or the world but his passion for the beautiful game is UN matched.

Cholwe

Maradona is idolized in Argentina for his securing the nation a World Cup in 1986 & yet his inexplicable excesses off the pitch are well known but his country looks after their golden son.
Sadly in Africa, Ponga shows us how we treat our own…pull him down syndrome.
Yes, you have a dossier on his misdeeds because of your access to Football House and for a few Rands, your 30 pieces of silver sell your kith and kin.
Good luck!!

Monkey Trick

Ba Kolwe basekana lfipato. According to the Bible there’s no big/small sin. Kamanga, Ponga and Kalusha have sinned. And need to repent.
All may ‘ve their strengths but man need only sin and what skeletons are hidden in their Closet will brought to day light.Comment

Shakaile

Farmer

Mr. Ponga. ! Have you ever explained to anyone that it was your father who misused his position as a popular commentator to bring you into the football limelight??? What is it that you had that appealed to any Zambian about you.
Stopping casting the first stone as though you hath not sinned! Kalu will answer to his God and not you…

Farmer

Great Kalu. Let no man judge you but God. One slip up will not erase your greatness!!!
It is the likes of Ponga who try to scrap a few rands to feed an empty belly by selling their own…..sorry..I meant our own as foreigners like him have no patriotism to a country that gave his family refuge!!!

NKANDU Hosea lewis

Joe mulunda

Captain Banks

Today, we are ‘happy’ that “Great Ponga” has exposed the ‘greedy’ Kalusha. This phase has passed and if there is anything to learn from this, Kalusha and all of us should learn and make amends. However, the time for “Great Ponga” will definitely come. Life is kind of funny that way.

Chisanga

His history will never be forgotten no matter what people may writing against Bwalya n z known at the world level. Zambia z also on the map because of his contribution made to the world of football. Challenges are to make people move on in life and what value does it have to the people reading as well as the country alarge. Of wat benefits will this message bring to the country? People of God let’s not fight one another bcoz of wanting to aquire something in life.God bless you all and love one another just like Jesus Christ Loved you.

Chisanga

His history will never be forgotten no matter what people may writing against Bwalya , he z known at the world level. Zambia z also on the map because of his contribution made to the world of football. Challenges are there to make people move on in life and people are strengthened through challenges.What value does it have to the people reading as well as the country at large?Of wat benefits will this message bring to the country? People of God let’s not fight one another bcoz of wanting to aquire something in life.God bless you all and love one another just like Jesus Christ Loved you.

Patrick

Ekaz

Chonkspinks

When people falls they think even others are the same,others are just penalized in these matters, Mr ponga do not be jubilant over a fruit which is not ripe and pretend has if you are ripe your self you just come from failing in zambia were you failed to run the football house everything was on you i pit you dear. I hard respect you. every one in this world is short of glory.

five five (55)

nefertiti

I once met a drunken aspiring international footballer at fracas corner. As i was at the butchery this individual came to cause some commotion at the butchery. And he is one of the players great kalu is accused of blocking! Seriously how can such indiscipline lead you anywhere? Kalu is hardworking and very very disciplined.
Ba Ponga your article is base. Kalu isn’t father of all these footballing failures. He chose his life. Now for you to make him seem like he’s the architect of zambia’s footballing woes! Someone who has given us the two biggest football honours !
Napapa sana

Mwanya

Even King David the great psalmist found himself in questionable activity,Dr Kaunda our independence hero faced the negative side in his career.Kalu is human and he has been punished so no need to humiliate him any further.Ponga must have his own skeletons hidden in a closet somewhere.No need to pin the Charlie Musonda boys failure to turn up for chipolopolo on Kalu.That family understands the benefits of European citizenship.How many Africans die trying to cross over to Europe?Then you expect Charles’ boys to choose to play for a futureless nation like Zambia.Ponga be honest that is why even in you can’t keep your butt here in Zambia.

Musonda

What about Kamanga and Pings what have they stolen within the short period the been in the office.or are you guys telling me they are dents.Kalu has done alot in football circles. The Kamanga administration
Are there to steal why did p onga resigned can he tell the almost truth
Football in Zambia will not improve as long as people like Kamanga are holding the highest office in Zambian football office.leave football for footballers and economy for economics.no ba lazy chabe.

Black

GRAND

Ponga and kamanga what do you realy want from Kalu.
Your days are to answer are coming,
What have you brought to zambian football ?
The two of you should be ashmed ,any way these two guys are not zambians

T

Ponga should have wrote his stories in the papers here at home,why in SA?There are bad things that goes on in our homes, only uncultured haters go out in the streets and hill tops to expose what’s in their home.And people usually laugh behind such an individual’s acts.

NDOLOLA RENNOX

Lets love one another.This is just entertainment.Why should we turnish one another outside Zambia? Tell me among us who has not errored or stollen.We have errored before and stollen. Some of us who have errored and stollen ‘ our cases are hidden but yet to be followd.So please lets not talk to much! Otherwise what comes today to tomorrow its us. I love you all!

Muntu Wathu

Ponga Liwewe will never be zambian. he is malawian whose father was given asylum by Kenneth Kaunda after running away from Kamuzu Banda. Both Liwewe and his son Ponga got famous because of radio commentaries over Kalusha bwalaya’s football skills. we know that the Liwewes hold a grudge against Bwalya.
while Ponga became secretary General of FAZ, his administration was marred by shadowy deals and corruption. Kali has lived his life playing soccer! for all he has done for zambia, he was not supposed to be ‘soliciting’ bribes if he was a citizen of another country, i.e south africa because they would have taken care of him well there. kale never sold Zambia. he was there again and again. that muhhmed bin actually helped Bwala with money to run zambian soccer. Tonga is badmouthing bwalya to feed his grudge.
He is whipping a dead horse. he is kicking a dog that is on its knees. thats inhuman. Bwalya need the support of every zambian and thats what we shall do. Tonga should try to develop malawian soccer. lets see if he will be able to, even 5% of what Kalu did for zambian soccer.
Give respect.